The other night over dinner, my son casually mentioned that a few of his girlfriends were thinking about getting Botox and filler. I nearly choked on my pasta. I've known some of these gorgeous girls since they were young and the idea that they're already worrying about wrinkles - let alone considering tweakments- felt upsetting. "They're only 20!" I said in a typical 'concerned mum' tone. "They're too young, besides, they’re gorgeous already – and if they start having Botox and filler now, then they are just going to have a warped sense of reality towards aging, and they are never going to be happy."
Hearing myself sound like a nagging mum, I reigned myself in and tried to offer more constructive advice that my son's friends would actually listen to. They are consenting adults after all, and also part of a generation that often considers 'Love Island' lips as ‘necessary’ as a Labubu keychain.
But having never had Botox or filler before, I quickly realised that I don't have the most informed viewpoint, so I called upon my friend Alice Hart Davis, who is a leading aesthetics expert and author of The Tweakments Guide, for her advice.
What do you say to a 20-year-old who wants tweakments?
"Like you, I'd much rather that 20-somethings avoided injectables, and that they realised they are all just gorgeous because they are young and at their peak loveliness," Alice reassured me. "But I know that a) this makes me sound old and grumpy and b) does not factor in the real-world pressures of today, where having injectables is seen as a rite of passage, a necessary step towards meeting the prevailing beauty standards and staving off any hint of ageing." Not just me then!
So, how do you help younger women differentiate between having minor tweaks and being dependent on them? I want to advise my son's friends to love the skin they are in and not alter the way they look, and not fall into the Love Island look trap.
Is there ever a 'right' age for tweakments?
I admitted to Alice that I've always told my sons' girlfriends to wait until they're at least 30 before even thinking about Botox or filler. But since I've never had these tweakments myself, I was curious to hear her take, both as someone who chooses to have them and as someone who really knows her stuff. Was I being overly cautious? "I still think the standard advice for toxin holds good - that you don't need it until you're seeing frown lines that stay in place when your face is relaxed," Alice explains.
And while having 'preventative’ toxin' is still a huge skincare trend for twenty-somethings, Alice doesn't believe it's a healthy approach. "That gets expensive and sets up a really unnecessary fear of having any lines at all, and we all need to be able to show some expression in order to communicate properly."
Proceed with caution
If they still want to go ahead, Alice suggests that those in their 20s proceed with caution. "Injectables are not beauty treatments - they’re medical procedures with cosmetic effects - and there are risks involved with any treatment that involves sticking needles in someone's face, especially if it is done by someone who barely knows what they’re doing."
Alice recommends researching for a decent practitioner first. "[Look for] Someone with a medical background, plenty of training and lots of experience," she notes. "And take a close look at the kind of results they show on their social media and website. If these look 'done' or fake - avoid. There are thousands of dodgy 'practitioners' out there using poor techniques and questionable products, so the first thing is to get educated and do your research," Alice adds.
© GettyRed flags to watch out for
While some laws in England have recently been tightened, the laws for tweakments in the UK are still evolving, so there are still plenty of red flags to look out for. "You, me or the postman could buy ourselves some filler and needles online, maybe take a two-day course in how to do it and get going, without any legal need to show that we are competent, or able to inject safely," Alice warns. And while the proposed new licensing scheme for aesthetic medicine in England will mean that practitioners will need a licence to show that they are sufficiently trained, Alice points out that 'unqualified' injectors still find ways around this. Alice's advice made me realise that if my son's girlfriends are determined, the best thing I can do is guide them towards making safe choices.
Here are some of the questions Alice recommends they ask:
- Does the injector have a 'medical background' (ie. are they a doctor, nurse, dentist, pharmacist)?
- Do they have a Level 7 qualification in aesthetics?
- Do they have insurance?
- Do they offer a proper consultation first?
Alice also points out the dangers of falling for online deals and discounts. "Good work doesn't come cheap. Any offers that look like they're too good to be true will be exactly that." Alice also says that we must remember to remind younger women that tweakments are just a small part of the puzzle if you want to look and feel good as you age. "Decent skincare, daily SPF, healthy diet, enough sleep and exercise, and not too much stress and alcohol. And no smoking!" And that's what I want my son's girlfriends – and every young woman – to hear. That tweakments aren't the secret to beauty. Confidence, self-care, and skin health are. After all, it's taken me nearly 50 years to realise: the best thing you can do for your face is love the skin you're in.
